At the beginning of chapter 23, we first see the hint that Jane and Rochester are going to have some sort of 'moment'. Rochester states that no one could miss the "sunset...meeting with moonrise." This foreshadows the joining of R and Jane. Two contrasting things come together, the light of the day and the dark of the night; the sunrays from Rochester and the moonlight from Jane. As exciting as this encounter is, I wonder what really is going to happen, for knowing Bronte, the love story won't end with over 200 pages left. Towards the end of this chapter, I began to wonder if these two are really destined for eachother, as much as I want to think so. Once Jane has agreed to marry Rochester and they both discuss their happiness, thunder strikes and the weather turns. Is this a bad omen? The moment is ruined and they must run inside (still sharing a kiss before they part). This "vivid spark" that "cracks...crash[es]... and rattl[es]" can only make me assume that things will take a turn for the worst. The splitting of the old horse-chestnut tree in the orchard also makes me feel uneasy. Although it could possibly symbolize the splitting of old ways and principles of marriage, I am assuming it occurst to warn the reader.
I also noticed the use of the word 'efface' at the end of this chapter and my mind instantly flashed to when Jane and R first meet. Rochester's bold entrance with his clammering horse "efface[s] the soft wave-wanderings" and Jane's peace with nature. Perhaps this is simply coincidence, or Bronte is purposely trying to bring the reader back to their original meeting.
On page 294, I get a flash of female inferiority in this book. Although I like to think that R is so madly in love with Jane that he simply must her Jane accept his proposal, I can't help but notice his quest for possession of Jane. He asks Jane, "I must have you for my own - entirely my own. Will you be mine?" Although this is his quest for Janes confession of love, his male 'superiority' also seems to come into play.
When Jane goes off on Rochester, exclaiming why she must go, I am reminded of her encounter with Mrs. Reed when she first leaves Gateshead. Her "passion" is unveiled and she exclaimes that although she may be "poor, obscure, plain, and little", she is NOT "soulless and heartless". I'm glad she finally tells Rochester that she can't just sit by and watch R and Ingram live "happily ever after"
When Jane goes off on Rochester, exclaiming why she must go, I am reminded of her encounter with Mrs. Reed when she first leaves Gateshead. Her "passion" is unveiled and she exclaimes that although she may be "poor, obscure, plain, and little", she is NOT "soulless and heartless". I'm glad she finally tells Rochester that she can't just sit by and watch R and Ingram live "happily ever after". Her reaction to Rochester's request is surprising but also empowering. Instead of destroying everything she stands for and simply falling for him, she sticks up for herself and recognizes that she must be treated as an "equal". She realizes that although she doesn't have the class and rank that R and Ingram have, she is "better than [Rochester]". Which is true. She knows what she wants and is willing to go against society and old ways if it is necessary. Rochester is the one who is willing to do something that doesn't truly fit his heart(marry Ingram), and that is what ultimately makes Jane superior, despite everything else.
When reading, I was reminded of the notion of gameplaying, as we discussed in class. We've seen games earlier in this book, and I am often forced to question Rochester's true motives. For he probably doesn't even recognize his true motives. Jane quotes "you play a farce, which I merely laugh at." She has her guard up, for so many times Rochester has yanked on her heart. This is smart of her, but still doesn't fit with the fairy tale ending. Not that Charlotte Bronte would really write a Cinderella story. Gothic novels don't fit with enchanted romances...
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3 comments:
A terrific post: lengthy, insightful, and well grounded in the text (I am impressed with words and phrases you choose to quote, and with the way you use them to develop your analysis--this bodes well for the more formal essay to come). Too much to comment on here, and besides--I'm waiting for your reaction to the events soon to come!
I posted a comment on this one before (so did lavender...) but whatever. I really likes this one as I read it BEFORE any of the drama between Bertha, Rochester and Jane was announced...but now i have other things to point out and question because of this passage.
Previously, I had thought about the waxing and waning of the moon, and how it corresponds to Jane's flowing and ebbing of passion. Then, of course, Mr. Rochester, refered to as the sun in a few occasions, (Especially this sunset meeting of the moonrise...) has his bright sunny days and his dark rainy days. Well, we all know the moon can't shine without the sun. Now that we know Jane's decision to leave Edward behind with Bertha, can we expect to encounter a thousand rainy days and a thousand new moons? Oh, I can't stand the darkness that is provoked by this separation. And it seems funny to me that rochester is the one who openly expresses that he relies on Jane. What? The sun doesn't rely on anything, supposedly! What's going to happen? AH!
Yes, Rochester claims that he does lean on Jane, but recently we've actually SEEN Jane lean on R, literally. On page 344, Jane falls into Rochester's "outstretched arm", which is interesting because their first encounter was Jane giving R a shoulder to lean on. The tables have turned... There's also another time of it, but I can't find it. Maybe it shows that he's willing to support her if she lets him do so. we'll see.
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